TRIP DETAILS   7 days   Dates: September 19-25, 2010 Arrival: Lima, Peru, before 5:00 pm, September 19, 2010   Airport Code: LIM/CUZ   Departure: Cusco, Peru, anytime of day, September 25, 2010 If you are continuing on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, you'll depart Cusco September 30th.   Price: $1775   Single: $330. Optional charge for private room while in hotels. Tents are four-man tents shared by two people.   Extras: $165 per night at the Crowne Plaza Lima including breakfast and airport transfers. For nights beyond the tour dates.   Fitness Level: High   Accommodations: Picoaga Hotel Crowne Plaza Lima Meals: All breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners   Includes: Hotel and camping accommodations Ground transfers throughout the tour Excursions and sightseeing with English speaking guides Entrance fees to sites OutWest trip leader Trek support crew with pack animals, wranglers, guides, and cooks All camping equipment Not included: International airfare, domestic airfare (currently $360), some meals, domestic departure tax ($16-$20), international departure tax ($31), personal gear, items of a personal nature like phone calls or laundry, optional activities, gratuities   Peru Trek: Choquequirao - a hike to a lesser known, less-visited Machu Picchu September 19-25, 2010 Built atop a mountain, high in the Andes, the lost city of Choquequirao is comparable only to Machu Picchu in its beauty, grandeur, and architectural accomplishment. On a four-day trek, you'll pass systems of fountains, canals and aqueducts that fed the farming terraces. Marvel at the ancient stonewalls that protect the two-leveled palaces and temples. Supported by a crew of guides, herdsman, and cooks, you walk through the pages of history as you trek towards this ancient empire.   Highlights: Experience a lost world that is still being uncovered. Escape the tourists and find the alternative Machu Picchu. Hike and camp in the spectacular Andes. Marvel at ancient architectural wonders that still amaze modern man.   Aaron Kampfe An avid outsdoorsman and adventure traveler, Aaron Kampfe founded OutWest Global Adventures in 1995.

FULL ITINERARY:

Flying to Peru is easy with direct flights from several major US cities. You can travel during the day and arrive in the evening, or you can fly overnight and arrive in the morning. In either case, upon arrival in Lima you will be greeted at the airport and helped with your transfer to our hotel in the San Isidro district.

DAY TWO.   CUSCO.  From Lima, we’ll fly to Cusco, high in the Andes. A tour of the city begins with Santo Domingo convent monastery; a former Colonial monastery that was previously the Koricancha temple, an important temple devoted to worship of the sun. According to the chronicles, it was covered in gold Leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. Other stops include the Plaza de Armas and Cathedral. Outside the city are remarkable Inca ruins in the area. Included are the cult centre of Sacsayhuaman, the temple and amphitheatre of Kenko, and the Red Fortress of Puca Pucara. That evening you can explore Cusco on your own.

DAY THREE.   TREK TO CHIQUISCA.  We leave Cusco early in the morning and drive towards Cachora, an Andean community located 4-5 hours from Cusco. After driving for two and a half hours, we stop in Tarawasi, where we visit the archeological ruins of an Inca Usno, a place where ceremonies and celebrations to Mother Earth were conducted. We leave Tarawasi and continue along the road, across the Apurimac River and up again through Curawasi and to Saywite, our second stopover. Here we visit the famous Inca rock that was believed to be the construction plan for the Tahuantinsuyo Empire, with carvings of animals representing the main deities.

From Saywite, we continue on to Cachora at 2800m/9184ft where we have lunch. In the afternoon we start our hike climbing for two and a half hours towards the Abra Capuliyoc at 2750m/9020ft, where we enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and the Apurimac River Canyon. We then continue descending two more hours towards Chiquisca, where we set up our camp and spend the night.

DAY FOUR.   CHOQUEQUIERAO.  We leave Chiquisca early in the morning to go down to Rosalina Beach, a one hour hike. We then cross the Apurimac River and start hiking towards Santa Rosa, zigzagging up a steep slope. Afterwards, we continue our hike, slowly climbing for two and a half hours, until we reach our lunch spot in Marampata. From there we walk another two hours until we reach the archaeological complex of Choquequirao, located at 3103m/10178ft. The crew sets up camp and we enjoy some free time to explore the terraces and buildings. When the sun starts to set, you can sit and contemplate the canyon, where condors may sometimes be spotted.

DAY FIVE.   CHOQUEQUIERAO.  Today, we experience a guided tour of the Choquequirao complex. During the course of the morning we will visit the high sections (Hanan), and the lower sections (Urin), and some areas that are still covered in wild foliage. These are awaiting restoration to their condition of Inca times. After the tour, we begin our walk back towards Santa Rosa, where we lunch. We then continue descending for another 2 hours until we reach Rosalina Beach at 1450m/4756ft, where we might have time to take a refreshing dip in the waters of the Apurimac River. We camp and dine here.

DAY SIX.   TREK BACK TO CUSCO.  We break camp after breakfast to start the two to three hour climb to Chiquisca, and then make our way back to the Abra Capuliyoc, close to which we lunch. In the afternoon, we continue on our two hour return route to Cachora, where a van will be waiting to take us back to Cusco. We will arrive in the late evening.

DAY SEVEN.   RETURN HOME OR CONTINUE TO MACHU PICCHU.  If you are continuing on OutWest’s Salkantay trek, you’ll have the day at leisure in Cusco. If you’re returning home, we’ll arrange an airport transfer in time for your flight to Lima. We can additionally book you an extra night in Lima, if you’d like. Adios!